First British Astronaut

No1Doyen


Joined: 04/07/2008
Posts: 16617

Message Posted:
20/05/2009 12:33

The first official British astronaut is expected to be announced by the European Space Agency (Esa), MoD sources have told BBC News.



I hope it's Gordon Brown

Arthur


Joined: 04/11/2008
Posts: 687

Message Posted:
20/05/2009 13:05

I thought there was a woman years ago.

Hilltop



Joined: 28/04/2008
Posts: 636

Message Posted:
20/05/2009 13:06

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_astronauts

No1Doyen


Joined: 04/07/2008
Posts: 16617

Message Posted:
20/05/2009 13:12

The first official British astronaut is expected to be announced by the European Space Agency (Esa), MoD sources have told BBC News.

Esa is expected to name a 37-year-old Apache pilot from the Army Air Corps as one of six new recruits.

The candidates will be presented to the public at a special ceremony in Paris.

The appointment is somewhat surprising because Britain does not contribute to Esa's human spaceflight programme.

Its preference has always been to fund the robotic exploration of space.

Those British-born people who have gone into orbit have done so privately or they have taken out US citizenship to fly with Nasa.

The first Briton in space was Sheffield-born chemist Helen Sharman. She had to secure private funding to fly to the Mir space station on a Russian Soyuz craft in 1991.

Three British-born astronauts have flown into space under an American flag: Michael Foale, Piers Sellers and Nicholas Patrick.

No1Doyen


Joined: 04/07/2008
Posts: 16617

Message Posted:
20/05/2009 13:22

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8058601.stm